What Is Uniswap?
Uniswap is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange. It features various ERC-20 token pools that allow users to exchange different types of ERC-20 tokens. Since it works in a principle of an Automated Market Maker (AMM), it operates via smart contracts to build liquidity pools for ERC-20 tokens and execute the algorithm without utilizing an Order Book.
Tokens are deposited into the pools by liquidity providers (LPs). The liquidity provided by LPs sets the UNI price quote to traders without the assistance of any professional market makers. If you want to see the current UNI price, make sure to take a look at the Uniswap price chart above.
Users who contribute to Uniswap liquidity pools receive pool tokens. Each token represents a small portion of the liquidity pool, which also includes a 0.3% trading fee. The token can be traded or sold. Besides that, it can also be utilized in other dApps. However, these tokens are burned as soon as their owners draw their funds out of the pool.
Uniswap seeks to increase trading efficiency while keeping token trading automated and entirely accessible to anyone. Various automated techniques (used for addressing liquidity difficulties) help Uniswap reach its goal. Besides that, it manages to avoid issues that beset decentralized exchanges in the past.
The protocol incentivizes participation by limiting risks and cutting costs for all parties. This is accomplished by using the automation of the market-making process. Besides, a liquidity pool for any pair of tokens can be created by anyone, thanks to the AMM’s removal of user identity constraints.
The Founders of Uniswap
The concept for Uniswap originated with Vitalik Buterin's 2016 proposal for a decentralized exchange (DEX) that would use an on-chain automated market maker with certain specialties. Hayden Adams started working on developing this concept into a usable product a year after this proposal.
Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, assisted Adams in the creation process of Uniswap. Hayden Adams is also a developer at Ethereum. Initially, it was anticipated that the Uniswap crypto project would go by the name Unipeg. However, Buterin suggested using a different name and, eventually, it was decided to name the project Uniswap.
The UNI Token
UNI is the governance token of Uniswap. It was released in September 2020 via a retroactive airdrop. 400 UNI tokens were given to every user who had utilized Uniswap to trade tokens or offer liquidity before the token was released. This way, around 150 million tokens were distributed, with each chunk of 400 tokens being worth $1,200.
Uniswap tokens allow holders to take part in fair and trustworthy governance of the Uniswap protocol and the whole ecosystem. They can participate in the decision-making processes considering Uniswap Treasury, governance, and roadmap.
Uniswap claims that the UNI token was developed in order to formally establish Uniswap as a publicly-owned and self-sustaining infrastructure, while also carefully preserving its invulnerability and autonomy.
Any person who holds UNI tokens has the right to submit a proposal. However, there are three stages that have to be accomplished in order to implement the proposal. These stages include:
- Temperature Check. Proposing the potential change and adding a link to the associated Snapshot poll. The proposer has to get 25,000 votes in favor in 2 days to be eligible for the second stage.
- Consensus Check. Creating a new Snapshot pool after making some changes based on the Temperature Check stage. To pass this stage, at least 50,000 votes in favor have to be gathered.
- Governance Proposal. Writing the code for the proposal. The code is voted on through the Governance Portal. Though, for this stage, you have to make sure to have at least 2.5 million UNI coins. The proposal has to undergo a seven-day voting period.
Since UNI is an ERC-20 token, it can be stored in any wallet that is compatible with Ethereum-based tokens. Wallets that can store UNI tokens include Ledger Nano S, MetaMask, Binance Wallet, and so on.
Liquidity mining used to be a way to get free UNI tokens. However, this opportunity was only available for a short period of time, and it ended in November 2020. Thus, any online airdrop that is advertised would almost certainly be a scam, because there are currently no known methods of receiving free UNI tokens. You can only purchase them in various crypto exchanges.
Though be sure to analyze the Uniswap price chart above before making a purchase. Remember that the UNI price, just like the prices of the majority of crypto tokens, is prone to change. This occurs because the same internal or external factors that affect the entire crypto market also have an impact on the value of Uniswap tokens.
The Tokenomics of UNI
The max supply of UNI is 1 billion tokens. It is anticipated that the circulating supply will reach the max supply by 2024, at which point, a 2% annual inflation rate will start to take effect. This means that, unlike Bitcoin, UNI is not a scarce asset. As a result, the UNI price may drop if its demand does not rise to match the supply.
The majority of UNI coins (60%) are distributed among Uniswap community members. The remaining portion is distributed among team members, investors, and advisors. However, the payouts for members, investors, and advisors will be made throughout the course of a four-year vesting period.
